What began as a gathering exploring the role of Open Source Programme Offices (OSPO) in 2023--the OSPOs for Good Symposium-- has evolved into a week where governments, the UN system, industry, academia, and open source communities come together to tackle the defining questions around digital transformation.
Open Source Week 2026 (22–26 June) welcomed nearly 1,400 attendees—a 40 per cent increase from 2025—from 123 countries. There were 270 speakers across 64 sessions and eight events, which generated more than 5,000 remote views.
Organized by the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and the Office for Information and Communications Technology, Open Source Week was supported by 100 partners, six Member State co-hosts, and 27 Advisory Group members.
The week included influential voices in technology and open source alongside government ministers and senior United Nations leaders, such as Linux creator Linus Torvalds, Yann LeCun, one of the pioneers of modern AI, Jim Zemlin, Chief Executive Officer of the Linux Foundation, Nithya Ruff, Chair of the Linux Foundation Board, and Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies.
"Open source provides a framework for collaboration across borders, sectors, and institutions," said Bernardo Mariano Junior, Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General, at OSPOs for Good. "It enables us to build together rather than in isolation, to share knowledge rather than duplicate efforts, and to create digital solutions that serve the public interest."
The week of events opened on 22 June with UN Tech Over Day. Participants tackled real-world UN challenges through three collaborative events:
- a hack-a-thon, in which developers built solutions for UN priorities
- edit-a-thon, where contributors expanded and improved open knowledge resources
- maintain-a-thon, focused on strengthening the security, sustainability, and resilience of open source software
Open Source x AI Day, on 23 June, asked, "What role does openness take in the future of artificial intelligence?" Leading voices from AI, government, and capacity-building discussed how open source could be a gateway to a sustainable AI future, how it bridges digital divides, and how countries can participate in developing AI innovation with transparency and openness.
On 24 June, Digital Public Infrastructure Day was about safeguards, inclusion, and sustainable digital public infrastructure. Discussions focused on governance frameworks that can help countries move from commitments to implementation.
And OSPOs for Good Day on 25 June, the programme from which the UN Open Source Week first grew, highlighted how institutions can embed open source capacity, stewardship, and digital autonomy.
The week closed with community-led side events at IBM, including workshops, presentations, and discussions that highlighted the impact of open source initiatives.
This year's UN Open Source Week comes at a time when questions about AI development, digital infrastructure for public services, technological dependence, sovereignty, and interoperability are high on the global agenda. Interest in open-source technology is growing. UN Open Source Week is a model of how collaboration and the participation of people and countries in shaping the technologies they depend on can lead us forward.
